Carpenters paint the boats of Lord Lingaraj ahead of chandan yatra. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, April 24: Two new boats are ready for the Lord Lingaraj’s chandan yatra to be held on the occasion of Akshaya Tritia on May 2, but low water level of the Bindusagar lake has left the temple administration worried.

On the occasion of Akshaya Tritia, presiding deities, along with the parswa devata (peripheral deities), go on boat trips. The ritual is observed also for Lord Lingaraj, but the water level of Bindusagar lake is worrying them.

Lingaraj temple administrator Abani Kumar Patnaik said: “We will take the two boats to Bindusagar tomorrow for a test ride. We are apprehensive because the renovation is not over and the water level is not known. Consequently, the boats may face problems while cruising through the lake.”

Patnaik had written to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation a fortnight ago to take measures to increase the water level and clean parts of the lake near the ghats, where soil have been dumped after dredging.

Sankashan Dalai, the lead carpenter for making the boats, said: “Ideally, there should be a uniform depth of six to seven feet inside the water body, so that boats can cruise through smoothly. If there is uneven surface and rocks below, then there could be problems.”

Both the boats are named Parvati and are of the same size. Each boat is 36ft long, 5ft wide and 2ft high.

Akshaya Dash, a resident of Old Town, said: “The temple administration’s point is valid as the renovation of the Bindusagar lake is going on for more than five years without any change in the water level and quality.”

Project officer of the municipal corporation Srimanta Mishra said: “We have briefed our engineering section regarding the requirements for chandan yatra of Lord Lingaraj and they are likely to take steps so that there are no problems during the religious cruise of the deities.”

The corporation’s executive engineer (division-II) Ashok Kumar Parida said: “The renovation of Bindusagar lake and especially the water level restoration is now looked after by the drainage division. We have already conveyed our concern to the chief engineer’s (drainage division) office.”

Over the past two days, the civic body has begun cleaning the area in and around Bindusagar.